Hosiery figure dyeing and extracting machine.



i .PATENTED AHL-28, 1908.-

2 SHEETS-SHEBT 1.

s. ALTHoUsE.

VAPPLWATION H'LBD No.4. 1905.

HOSIERY FIGURE DYEING ANDBXTRAGTING MACHINE.

Nm 885,769. n f PATENTED APR. 28, 190s.

C. S. ALTHOUSE.

HOSIBRY v1:"IGrURE'DYEIlIG AND' BXTRACTINQMAOHINE.

APPLICATION FILED No.4. 1905.

` 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

` CHARLES SCOTT ALTHOUSE, or READING, PENNSYLVANIA.

p HOSIERY FIGURE DYEINGA AND EXTRACTING-MACHINE.

speciecation of Letters raient.' Application flled December 4, 1905.Serial No. 290,107.

Patented'April 28, 1908.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLEs SCOTT ALT- HoUsE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residin g in the city of Reading, county of Berks, and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful-Improvements in Hosiery Figure Dyeing and Extracting Maof which the following is aspecifica- My invention relates particularly to improved mechanism foreffecting the figureyeing-and-extracting of ornamented stockings.; mymain objects being to secure more accurate, Satisfactory, and rapidwork, while dis ensing entirely with expert hand labor.

he invention is fully described in connec- .tion with the accompanyingdrawings, and the novel features are specifically pointed out in theclaims.

Figure 1 is a side elevation., partl m section, of the main portions ofa mac f 'me embodymg my invention. Fig. 2 is a correspending frontelevation, looking in the direction of thearrow, Fig. 1.

Between the side frames 2 2 which are rigidly connected by the spacedcross-pieces 3,

4 and 5, extend a pulley shaft 6, a main shaft y 7 rotated thereby,andsimilar cam-shafts 8 8 and a crank-shaft 9 all suitably driven fromsaid shaft 7; such shafts being employed in thewspecicconstruction-shown, to operate the essential elements of the machine ashereafter described.

' The stockingsv to be operated upon in iigure-dyeing and extracting,are commonly stretched upon board formers, and dyeblocks carrying thedesired designs, after having the required dye (or dyeextracting ingsthrough material as the case may be) applied thereto, arecarefull placedin proper position upon them and t pressions in different colors, made.

q My invention provides for making any desired vnumber of impressions inpassing the stocka single machine, the successive operations beingeffected automatically and with absolute accuracy Without requiringspecial skill or care on the part of the operator.

The boarded stocking required position u on 11 which is moved 10 isfirmly placed in a fabric-carrier' plate orizontally, as hereafterdescribed, in Suitable guide-ways 12 provided on the frame 2 2; Ade-block or blocks, 1,3 and 13 as shown in=t e drawing,

e unpression, or successive im? are adju-stablly fixed to separatecarrier-bars 14 the ends o which are guided in verticallyslottedhousings 15 ixed to the machine effected in harmony with thefabric-carrier movements and with the action of the dyefeed belts, ashereafter described. These latter, which serve to apply the desired dyeor extracting material to each dye-block prior to the making of eachimpression, consist as shown of separate Strips 16 of absorbent fabric,arranged in the form of endless belts and each carried upon a pair ofdrive-rolls 17 17 therefor, located below the fabric-carrier guide-ways12. Each of these pairs of drive-rolls is rotatably mounted in suitablebearings 18 18 provided on a wallbracket 19, which projects laterallyfrom a side-frame 2 of the machine a sufficient distance to permit of emloying a proper width of belt to 'contact wit the whole surface of thedye-block employed; said bracket and its drive rolls however beingshorter than the space between the s read Side-frames 2 2 so as topermit of readl y placing and removing the endless feed-belts 16 uponthe driverol-ls as shown. The slack portion of each feed-belt, whenapplied to the drive-rolls', dips into adye-reservoir 20, suitablysecured beneath the same, and is kept more or less taut as desired bymeans of a suitable tension roll 21, which l is located within thevdyereservoir upon the slack of the movin f belt; lsaid tension rollserving4 to stretch the belt fabric as required to insure proper feedofthe dye or extractor material to the dyeblock when the latter isbrought into contact with it for that purpose. Any suitable yieldingbacking 22 maybe provided beneath the' fiat portion ofthe belt toequalize the supply of dye to the contacting surface of the dyeblock.

An intermittent reciprocating movement is imparted to the fabric-carrierlate 11, as shown, by means of a air 'ofplevers 25, pivoted at theirlower en s 26 to the frame, and having their 'slottedupperends 27connected to projecting trunnions 28 on the carrier; the requiredmovements being transmitted to said levers from the crank-shaftQ, thecrank-pin 31 of which engages the intermediate slotted portion 29 of thelever.

, provide for (l) moving the fabric-carrier into scarce proper positionbeneath the nearer dyeblock, ,(2) for retaining it in such positionwhile the first impression is being made upon the fabric, f3) for afurther similar movement to the next dye-block, and finally for a quickreturn of the fabric-carrier to its original position, l employ in theconstruction shown, suitably mutilated gears arranged upon the operatingshafts 7 and 9 as required; the

' bars le. As shown the lower ends of' these rods yare connected at 3737 to similar levers 38 separately pivoted at 39 39 to the frame,

and. rovided intermediate of their length with. friction rollers 40.,upon each of which a double cam tlv-4t2 upon a cam-shaft 8, is arrangedto operate; the cam 4l serving to y depress said lever 38 and itsconnected dyeblock suciently to bring the latter' into contact with itsfeed-belt 16, and the cani 42 to thereafter depress it into contact withthe interposed fabric upon the carrier. 'l` he s rings 43 -serve toraise the respective dyeb ocks When the cams are out of "service, andsleeve-nuts 44 upon the connecting rods 35 permit accurate adjustnientoftheir lengths as required. In the construction shown the actions of thecams 41.-42 are lproperly timed to the different positions assumed bythe fabric-carrier l1, by means of suitable mutilated gears such aspreviously referred to as'opera'ting the crank-shaft 9.

To provide for moving the feed-belts and for stopping their movement atthe moment of contact of either dye-block therewith, l

' employ a countershaft 50 having-a wormgear connection to eachdrive-roll and operated from the main shaft 7 through a suitably mountedvertical drive-rod 51; said rod being formed in two parts normaliconnected by a clutch 52 so as to be rotate with said main shaft, butadapted to be disconnected bv the operation of a clutch-lever 53. Theuwer end 5e of this clutch-lever is arranged in the path of similarfingers 55 )rovided on the cam-levers 38, so as to be epressed duringthe final downward swing of said levers sufficiently to free the clutch52 just as the dyeblock comes into contact with`the feed-belt,

follows: rlhe boarded fabric l() is properly placed upon the carrier l1,to which a stepby-step` forward movement and continuous return movementare'imparted by the engaging crank-pm 3l of shaft 9 these movementsbeing effected by omitting serios of tooth on the constantly rotatingjrmain shaft gear wheel which drives said shaft 9, iu a manner commonlyemployed and Well understood by mechanics, and which is therefore notspef oifically set forth. Before the first forward movement of thecarrier occurs, the first dyebiocli has been lowered by the cum Lil,info Contact with its dye-feed belt 16, and thou raised; the fabric l0being thereafter moved into position directly below the inked block bythe swing of thc'crank pin 3l to position 3l, and being detained there(during the i ueffective rotation of the mutilated drive gear) until theinked block has been lowered a sec- '3 ond time by the action of cam d2,into printing contact with the interposed fabric. As the block israisedagaiu (after the passing of cam 42), the second forward step ofthe fabric carrier occurs, to bringr the fabric l() in like manner belowthe second similarly inked block, where it is again detained for thesecond impressing or printing-action. As sh own in the drawing these twoforward stops only are provided for', and the further swing of thecranl; pin 3l, from position 3l", causes a singlo quick return movementof the carrier to the normal position. indicated in Fig. 2,' theseriesof dye-blocks being retained in raised position until thismovement is effected, and their alternate inking and impressingmovements being thon'successive y repeated in )roper times with thecarrier movements as Ilust described, and also with the respectiveintermittent dye-feed belt movements as previously explained. Both theinking and the impressing movements of the several dyeblocks areeffected successively, and are se J- aratcly timed to move into contactwith t ie. dye-feed belts when the fabric carrier is out of the way, andwith the interposed fabric when the carrier is momentarily at restbelow` it ,z the separate main-sh aft drive gears for the cam shafts 8and 9, being independently adapted to properly time the dye-blockmovements in similar manner to the crank-shaft 9 and as will be readilyunderstood by mechanics.

The mechanism particularly shown and described may evidently be readilymodified without de )arting from my invention as specifically defined inthe subjoined claims.

What l claim is: i l. The combination of a plurality of dyeblocks anddye-applyingr means therefor, a fabric carrier mechanism forsuccessively moving said carrier into position between each. of saiddye-blocks and its dye-applying means, and mechanism for successive ymoving,` each of said dye-blocks rst into contact with its dye-ap lyingmeans and thereafter l into contact wltll the interposed fabric upon ithe carrier. f

2. The combination of a plurality of vcr-l tically movable dyeblocks, ahorizontally i movable fabric carrier, dye-applying means i locatedbelow said blocks and the plane 'of the 1 carrier,mechanism forimparting to each. block alternate dye-taking and impressing movements,an'd mechanism for imparting a step-by-step forward movement and acontinuous return movement to the carrier; said carrier movements beingtimed to clear the respective dye-taking block movements, and tocooperate with the respective dye-impress-r ing` block movements,substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of a plurality of vertically movable dye-blocks, ahorizontally movable fabric carrier, dye-feed belts located below therespective blocks and the plane of` the carrier, mechanism forimpartingI to each block alternate dy -taking and impressing movements,mechanism for imparting a stepbystep forward movement and a contmuousreturn movement to/the carrier, and mechanism `for imparting` anintermittent movement to cach .belt timed Yto the respective dyetakingmovements; said carrier movements bein timed to'clear the respectivedye-taking blocl movements, and to cooperate with the respectivedyeimpressing block movements,

substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with the supporting side frames and the fabriccarrier and dye block extending between thesame, of a driveroll bracketprojecting laterally from one ,of said frames below said dye-block,drive rolls mounted in said bracket; an endless dye-feed belt carriedupon said rolls and laterally removable therefrom past the free end ofthe bracket, anda dye-reservoir into which said belt dips, substantiallyas set forth.

In testimony whereof, l aii'ix my signature,

lin the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES' SCOTT ALTI-10U SE. Witnesses: D. M. STEWART,

FW. G. STEWART.

